Syracuse reportedly hires Brandon Napoleon as DBs coach
Syracuse football has hired Brandon Napoleon as its defensive backs coach, CBS Sports reported Sunday. Leonardo Eriman | Daily Orange File Photo
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Syracuse football is hiring Brandon Napoleon as its new defensive backs coach, CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz reported Sunday. Napoleon served as the defensive backs coach and defensive pass coordinator at Wofford last season.
Napoleon’s move to SU marks his first career Power Four coaching opportunity, following a playing career with West Virginia and Kansas Wesleyan. He started with coaching stints at Kutztown University, Geneva College, Midwestern State, Susquehanna and Buffalo.
Then, he became the cornerbacks coach at Sacred Heart in 2022 and subsequently moved to Rhode Island for the same position in 2023. In his lone season with SHU, he guided it to the fourth-best pass defense in the Football Championship Subdivision.
He then jumped to Jacksonville State, helping it win the 2024 Conference USA championship, before his year at Wofford. Last year, Wofford ranked fourth in the FCS in scoring defense and seventh in interceptions.
Napoleon takes former defensive backs coach Joe Schaefer’s position, who was dismissed along with three other coaches after SU’s 2025 regular-season finale. The Orange’s defense was the worst in the Atlantic Coast Conference last year, allowing over 250 passing yards and 170 rushing yards per game.
He’ll pair with new defensive coordinator Vince Kehres — replacing LSU-bound Elijah Robinson — on the Orange’s revamped defensive staff. The duo will look to help them rebound from a disastrous 3-9 season in Fran Brown’s second year at the helm.
